Music Files On External HD, itunes wants to look at laptop for some

Music folders stored on external HD. Previously itunes correctly grabbed all music files from external HD. Now itunes wants to look on the laptop for some of the files, I think I know why. How to redirect itunes to external HD for all files? Changing target in preferences fails to do this on the PC. On my old Mac this was a simple fix. Dang.

Hello dsbailey3,
It sounds like your music is on an external hard drive, and you would like iTunes to point to that library and store all your music files there.  I found some resources that you can use achieve this. 
To choose the iTunes Library on your external drive, follow these steps:
Steps to create or choose a different iTunes Library file
If iTunes is running, quit iTunes.
If you are using Windows, hold down the Shift key and from the Start menu and choose All Programs > iTunes > iTunes.
You should see the following screen:
You can then choose the iTunes Library on your external drive.  You can find the full article here:
iTunes: How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1589
Once you have iTunes pointing to that library, you can consolidate your iTunes Library so all the files are stored in one place:
To consolidate your library:
Choose File > Library > Organize Library.
Select “Consolidate files.”Files remain in their original locations, and copies are placed in the iTunes folder.
To create folders (Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, Audiobooks, and so on) inside your iTunes folder, and place all your imported media files in the appropriate folders, select “Reorganize files.”
You can find the full article here:
iTunes 10 for Windows: Consolidate your iTunes library
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH1459
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Sheila M.

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